I didn’t know Nicolas until he signed up for our trip, but I knew something about him was different from the day he showed up in my office to ask for a trip application.  We’re only at the beginning of the trip, but I’m not surprised that he’s become everyone’s favorite of the trip.  Everyone wants to eat breakfast at his table, sit in his section of the bus, etc. 

As I was watching some of the students interact with him today, I started trying to figure out why they love him so much, especially since most of them didn’t know him until five days ago.  As I watched him talk to them, I quickly realized why he’s so popular: Nicolas doesn’t ignore anyone.  Everyone matters to him — from how they’re doing to what they’re saying, he genuinely wants to know.  No one is excluded from being loved by Nicolas and, because of that, everyone wants to love him back.